Police Detain Suspect After Tourist Links Him To Pahalgam Attack
Following the deadly Pahalgam terrorist attack that claimed 26 lives on April 22, Ganderbal District Police have detained a suspect after a video went viral showing a tourist alleging religious questioning by a man whose photo she possessed.
Police quickly identified the suspect as Aiyaz Ahmad Jungal from Gohipora Raizan in Ganderbal, who works as a pony service provider at Thajwas Glacier in Sonamarg. Authorities have begun interrogating Jungal and initiating legal proceedings while investigating any potential connection to the Pahalgam attack.
Ekta Tiwari, a tourist from Uttar Pradesh's Jaunpur, claims she encountered two suspected terrorists during a mule ride in Pahalgam on April 20. She showed investigators a photo of a man in maroon attire whom she alleges questioned her about her religion during their interaction in Baisaran Valley. While her travel companions were reportedly reluctant to speak with authorities, Tiwari claims WhatsApp messages confirm others in her group recognized the suspects from police sketches.
According to Tiwari, the men inquired about her name, religion, and whether she had visited Ajmer Dargah or Amarnath. When she expressed interest in the Amarnath Yatra, they allegedly offered to help her bypass registration procedures. Tiwari's husband, Prashant Gautam, confirmed they were part of a 20-person tour group that had visited Vaishno Devi before continuing their journey.
Tiwari reports the conversation took a concerning turn when one man asked whether she preferred Hinduism or Islam and inquired about her religious readings. She became alarmed upon overhearing a phone conversation where the man allegedly mentioned "Plan A brake fail, Plan B 35 guns sent and kept on the grass in the valley" before switching languages when he noticed her listening.
She described the suspect as sounding like "a Pakistani living in Kashmir" who claimed to be a Quran teacher working in the area for seven years. Tiwari expressed concern about the lack of visible security checkpoints in the area, noting the only checkpoint she observed was unmanned during her return journey.
Tiwari maintains she is "200% sure" about her identification of the suspects from police sketches, claiming everyone in her tour group recognized them as well.
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